HRAFN GIN 'The Brand' 2019

THE BRAND

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Raven Spirits Limited Visit Aberdeenshire The Gin Cooperative

ENGRAVINGS Larry Vienneau

TEXT

Raven Spirits Limited with contributions from Visit Aberdeenshire

DESIGN & LAYOUT Raven Spirits Limited

THE BRAND

First published 2019

by Raven Spirits Limited 2, Old Skene Road, Kingswells Aberdeen, Scotland, AB15 8QA Copyright Š Raven Spirits Limited All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrival system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing of the publisher.

Please drink responsibly www.hrafngin.com @RavenSpiritsLtd RAVEN SPIRITS LIMITED

CONTENTS

02 BACKGROUND

TWO RAVENS TWO BROTHERS THE NAME

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HRAFN GIN UNIQUE

THE JOURNEY

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HRAFN GIN THE STORY ‘Thought & Memory’ ‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’

AWARDS 07

HRAFN GIN THE STORY ‘Valhalla’ ‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’

AWARDS

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HRAFN GIN THE STORY ‘Winter Edition’ ‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’

SERVE SUGGESTION 11

HOME OF HRAFN

ABERDEENSHIRE

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DISTILLING HRAFN

ROYAL DEESIDE

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THE MYTHOLOGY

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MIXOLOGY

20 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 21

CONTACTS & DETAILS

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ACKGROUND

The best part of HRAFN is it is owned and managed by two brothers: they instinctively know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They trust each other absolutely and so can disagree constructively and so never need to TWO RAVENS compromise – They push each other and For millennia, in the twilight world of HRAFN GIN to greater heights. myth, the raven has symbolised both intellect and insight. In Norse tradition, two ravens, Huginn and Muninn – THE NAME meaning Thought and Memory – serve Hrafn (pronounced ‘Ra-vn’) is Old Norse for Raven Odin, the king of the gods. They are his winged scouts. His eyes over distant lands. Callum has always been interested in They travel the nine worlds of the Viking Norse mythology and he even wanted to be a Viking when he was 4 years old! cosmos and return with its secrets.

The clincher was when the two brothers HRAFN GIN takes inspiration from were at Bruichladdich Distillery, a raven Huginn and Muninn, bringing together landed close to Callum as he looked at a thoughtful mix of soft spice and delicate the botanicals from ‘Ugly Betty’ and just mandarin to reveal a long, warm and stared at him, and so a brand was born. memorable finish.

TWO BROTHERS On a trip to Bruichladdich on Islay back in 2017, Callum and Peter managed to get one of the first Gin Tours around Bruichladdich Distillery, home to The Botanist Islay Dry Gin. It was here they saw their gin still ‘Ugly Betty’. They had just emptied the still and the smell of botanicals in the air was remarkable.

Later that night, Callum and Peter were sitting taking in the views of Islay and enjoying a glass of Laphroaig, a whisky with a deep taste and lingering finish.

The brothers posed the question, “if we were to make a gin with such depth and finish as good as The Botanist, how would you go about making it?”

They found themselves talking late into the night about making their own gin, what botanicals they would use, what they would leave out, what it would be called. Their visit to the Bruichladdich Distillery was the spark that set them on our gin making journey - this is where the fun began.

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Callum and Peter Sim, Founders of Raven Spirits Limited

HRAFN GIN UNIQUE

Firstly, there is the use of mandarin as one of the botanicals, it gives HRAFN GIN a deep and resonant citrus that overlays the juniper. Then, there is the warming spice that develops into a tingling sensation in the mouth. The combination of these two gives the depth of taste to HRAFN. Secondly, there is the long slow distillation which gives HRAFN GIN its ‘taste journey’. It allows the botanicals to release their flavours into the spirit slowly and to distil over individually. This gives the gin a lengthened taste that allows the principal botanicals to be enjoyed in separation.

The long lingering finish is also achieved by the isolation of the spicy phase to the end of HRAFN’s ‘Journey of Taste’.

Then, Raven Spirits allow HRAFN GIN to rest and marry after distillation for at least four weeks. This crucial stage lets Raven mellow and the botanicals to compound – it smooths the taste of the botanicals into a smooth curve – and it is part of the stringent quality control to ensure that the taste will not continue to change unchecked in the bottle.

Finally, this gives HRAFN GIN a taste that holds up very well with tonic allowing you to experience a refreshing G&T with a fulsome taste. The smoothness of the spirit also makes HRAFN GIN ideal to sip over ice.

THE JOURNEY Raven Spirits was established in Aberdeenshire by brothers Callum and Peter Sim in November 2017. Their signature gin, ‘Thought & Memory’, along with their 500-bottle limited edition, ‘Founder’s Edition’, were launched in May 2018. Both gins are London Dry and were released in 500ml bottles.

The label was conceived by Callum and along with the help of our brand agency, FortyTwo Studio of Aberdeen, the finalised label was developed.

Its distinctive engraving of Huginn and Muninn, the two ravens of Odin, is by US artist Larry Vienneau and with its copper foiling and custom font it is a design that displays both a heritage and a timeless elegance.

Six weeks after launching ‘Thought & Memory’ was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Gin Masters Competition in London, in the highly challenging London Dry category.

In November 2018 a new seasonal expression was released for the Festive season called HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ and was the first to be under the name HRAFN – a closer tie to its Viking ancestry. ‘Winter Edition’ was Raven Spirit’s first distilled gin, augmenting the signature ‘Thought & Memory’ with precious Omani Myrrh and Royal Green Hojari Frankincense. This release soldout after only one month and is now a Seasonal Core Release.

2019 saw the company move to a 70cl bottle, a move that was welcomed by friends in the on-trade as well as retailers and end consumers.

In April of this year HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ gained its second Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Furthering its reputation as an internationally recognised Premium Gin. Then in June 2019, a new core expression called HRAFN GIN ‘Valhalla’ was launched, too much acclaim. This new release gave Raven Spirits yet another Gold Medal at the International Gin Masters Competition in the prestigious Ultra-Premium category as well as a Silver Medal for its London Dry credentials.

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RAFN GIN

BOTANICALS

Juniper | Angelica | Coriander | Cassia Bark Cubeb Pepper | Orris Root | Mandarin

‘THOUGHT & MEMORY’

STORY

‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’

HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ is the signature core product from Raven Spirits Limited.

NOSE:

Released in May 2018 it is currently a double Gold Medal winning spirit from both the International Gin Masters and the San Francisco World Spirit Competition.

TASTE:

Distilling of ‘Thought & Memory’ takes more than twice the time of standard gins, using only the choicest botanicals and the smoothest purity of wheat based spirit to give a Premium Gin, that is cut at 45%ABV. At this ABV HRAFN GIN’s renowned ‘Journey of Taste’ is revealed and its deep, intense flavour and long satisfying finish is perfectly achieved.

Fresh and bright, but with a spicy mandarin depth.

First comes the juniper followed by deep mandarin flavours, juicy but dark. The finale is warming spice that ends with a crackle of pepper.

FINISH:

Long and warming with a cleansing pepper burst

AWARDS In July 2018, HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Gin Master Competition in the prestigious London Dry category.

It is bottled in a classic shaped 70cl bottle and capped and sealed with a bespoke copper closure that is emblazoned with our crested logo.

The strong design of the label is of the two ravens of Odin, from an engraving by the US artist Larry Vienneau over a Celtic lattice. The branding is enhanced by the copper foiling of the logo and expression marquee and the narrative tells both the story of the ravens and the taste profile for the gin.

In April 2019 HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ was awarded Gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

NOTES: • For territories where a black bird is culturally sensitive, Raven Spirits Limited is able to supply an Export label for HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ where the birds are foiled in deep red.

The Scottish provenance is prominently displayed along with Callum’s signature, authenticating HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ placement as a premium product with Scottish heritage and credentials.

•

POS support collateral is available in the form of A6 postcards with the Myth and ‘Journey of Taste’ narratives foiled onto high quality black card (or red where there is cultural sensitivity).

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RAFN GIN ‘VALHALLA’

BOTANICALS

Juniper | Angelica | Coriander | Cassia Bark Cubeb Pepper | Orris Root | Mandarin

STORY

‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’

HRAFN GIN ‘Valhalla’ is the new core product from Raven Spirits Limited.

NOSE:

Released in June 2019 it is currently a Gold and Silver Medal winning spirit from the International Gin Masters Competition in London.

TASTE:

Distilling of ‘Valhalla’ takes more than three times that of standard gins, using only the choicest botanicals and the smoothest purity of wheat based spirit to give an Ultra-Premium Gin, that is cut at 49%ABV. At this ABV HRAFN GIN’s renowned ‘Journey of Taste’ is not only revealed, but intensified, and its deep flavour and long satisfying finish is magnified. However, with ‘Valhalla’ the middle section of the Taste goes to Spice and it is Mandarin that gives the long finish. This profile makes ‘Valhalla’ a superlative sipping gin to enjoy over ice, in the manner of a classic Scottish Single Malt.

Juniper swelling into spiced mandarin.

Creamy and smooth in the mouth. The initial taste of classic herbaceous juniper.

Then the journey crackles into warming spices and bursts of pepper that eventually completes into a citrus slide of deepening mandarin intensity that linger on the palate.

FINISH:

Long lingering finish of mandarin with prickles of spice.

AWARDS In July 2019, HRAFN GIN ‘Valhalla’ was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Gin Master Competition in the acclaimed UltraPremium category.

It is bottled in a classic shaped 70cl bottle and capped and sealed with a bespoke copper closure that is emblazoned with our crested logo.

The strong design of the label is of the two ravens of Odin, from an engraving by the US artist Larry Vienneau over a sapphire ground and Celtic lattice. The branding is enhanced by the copper foiling of the logo and expression marquee and the narrative tells both the story of the ravens and the taste profile for the gin.

The Scottish provenance is prominently displayed along with Callum’s signature, authenticating HRAFN GIN ‘Valhalla’ placement as an Ultra-Premium product with Scottish heritage and credentials.

In July 2019, HRAFN GIN ‘Valhalla’ was awarded a Silver Medal at the International Gin Master Competition in the prestigious London Dry category.

NOTES: • POS support collateral is available in the form of A6 postcards with the Myth and ‘Journey of Taste’ narratives foiled onto high quality black card.

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RAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’

STORY HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ is a seasonal core product from Raven Spirits Limited.

Released in November 2018 for the festive period it was Raven Spirits’ first foray away from a pure London Dry Gin and into a Distilled Contemporary Gin.

BOTANICALS

Juniper | Angelica | Coriander | Cassia Bark Cubeb Pepper | Orris Root | Mandarin Royal Green Hojari Frankincense Precious Omani Myrrh

‘JOURNEY OF TASTE’ NOSE:

Fresh green Juniper, Lemon, sweet Mandarin and powdered Spice.

Distilling of ‘Winter Edition’ takes more than twice the time of standard gins, using only the choicest botanicals and the smoothest purity of wheat based spirit to give a Superior Gin, that is cut at 43%ABV

TASTE:

HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ takes the renowned ‘Journey of Taste’ and adds into it two very precious botanicals. The first distillate is of Omani Myrrh that comes as a pure resin from the Dohfar Region and the second is of Royal Green Hojari Frankincense, a rare incense once only available to the Sultan. These resins are meticulously distilled individually by Raven Spirits and carefully added to the unadulterated HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ to create ‘Winter Edition’.

Soft, sweet and seductive, with a beguiling shimmer of Spices on the end.

HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ is ideally mixed with prosecco, as the sweet floral notes of the distilled Myrrh counteract the dryness of the wine to give a celebratory mixed drink fit for the Festive Season.

It is bottled in a classic shaped 70cl bottle and capped and sealed with a bespoke copper closure that is emblazoned with our crested logo.

NOTES:

The strong design of the label is of the two ravens of Odin, from an engraving by the US artist Larry Vienneau over a Praetorian purple ground and Celtic lattice. The branding is enhanced by the copper foiling of the logo and expression marquee and the narrative tells both the story of the ravens and the taste profile for the gin.

The Scottish provenance is prominently displayed along with Callum’s signature, authenticating HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’s placement as a Superior product with Scottish heritage and credentials.

Juniper rolling into sweet Violet and Rose with spiced wood notes of Oud and Mandarin.

FINISH:

SERVE SUGGESTION

• POS support collateral is available in the form of A6 postcards with the Myth and ‘Journey of Taste’ narratives on high quality card.

• The 2019 release of HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ will be in 70cl bottles • The 2019 release of HRAFN GIN ‘Winter Edition’ will be labelled with the engravings of the two ravens in black foil • This seasonal release is time limited and so Raven Spirits give priority to preorders.

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View over Aberdeenshire from Bennachie

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OME OF HRAFN

57.2869° N, 2.3816° W

ABERDEENSHIRE

Aberdeenshire stretches from the Cairngorm Mountains - “one of the last great places on earth” to “one of the world’s top-rated coastlines”. So says National Geographic. And Scotland’s national newspaper ‘The Scotsman’ calls the city of Aberdeen, where ships dock right up against the city-centre streets and dolphins leap in the busy North Sea harbour, “one of the most architecturally distinctive in Europe”.

There’s something about the scale of this place between the mountains and the sea. You can roam for miles across great estates, expanses of moorland, ancient Caledonian forests, rolling farmland, vast dunes, wide sandy beaches and expansive coastlines. History is writ large here too. Ancient sites and symbols mark this as a heartland of the ancient Picts. In the millennia that followed, no fewer than 300 castles were built here. And of course, this majestic place has long been loved by monarchs ... and by the salmon that return each year to power upstream in the fast-flowing snow-fed waters of the Dee and the Don. You could call this True Majesty.

It’s a place of big skies and wide horizons, loved for its fresh clear air and the quality of its light. In summer, days are near endless, sunsets stretch out, darkness is brief. In winter, nights are deep and long and starry – and on occasion spectacularly lit by the Northern Lights. Here, mainland Scotland sees its first light of each new day. Trillions of tiny crystals glint in granite walls. And ninety-nine stone circles are aligned to the standstill moon. You could call this True North.

You can still hear words from an original Scots language – Doric – and feel its distinctive culture alive in its genial “couthie” (down to earth) people and its “affa fine” (very good) traditions – not least the fiddle-playing, the bothy ballads and the highland gatherings. Doric is in the warp and weave of this self-reliant place ... a place that’s used to being off the tourism track, known rather as a seat of learning and for its natural resources – its granite, its oil, its fish, its beef, and its whisky. You could call this True Scotland.

It’s here that Callum and Peter were brought up, in a local town outside Aberdeen called Inverurie: the capital of the Garioch – inhabited since Pictish times and made a Royal Burgh by King Robert the Bruce for its loyalty. It was here that the two brothers learned the meaning of family, community and quality through hard work, innovation and endeavour.

They say that once you have a Scot from the North East as a companion, then only an operation can get rid of them. You could call this True Friendship.

Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire

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Meander of the the River Dee, through Royal Deeside

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ISTILLING HRAFN ROYAL DEESIDE

It feels like a deep dive into the glens and ancient forests where Aberdeenshire meets the Cairngorms National Park, and where the snow-fed River Dee starts its journey from the mountains to the sea. You can roam for miles across grand highland estates , beneath wind-washed cathedral pines, by still, dark lochs, along crystalclear rivers where salmon come to spawn.

Encircled by mountains or out among the heather of open moorland, flora and fauna is plentiful. Tread carefully to spot capercaillie, pine marten, red squirrel, golden eagle, and herds of red deer.

57.0563° N, 2.4293° W

This heritage, this depth, these landscapes and these long traditions – all combine to create a place that feels like an embrace.

Queen Victoria fell deeply in love with what would become known as Royal Deeside “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace ...” she wrote. It’s a sentiment that echoes through the years and still rings true today.

This is the place where the current Queen is said to be at her happiest.

This is where the award-winning Hrafn Gin is distilled- where heather clad mountains and historic castles follow the magnificent River Dee to join the North Sea. Our distilling method echoes the elemental traditions and rhythm of neighbouring Speyside to introduce a contemporary depth and finish to perfect this classic gin of distinction.

But it’s more than simply a dive into nature. Traditional roots run deep here.

Communities are strong. Doric – the language, poetry and especially the music – is alive. Along the valley, every village has its Highland Games. The clans that gathered here centuries ago still gather today. Granite walls, legendary castles and mysterious standing stones tell a long history of settlement. This is a landscape shaped and stewarded by hundreds of generations of hunters, farmers, foresters.

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HE MYTHOLOGY

Ravens have an important place in Norse mythology. To the Vikings, the image of Odin, the “All-Father”, seated on his throne with ravens upon his shoulder, symbolised his power to see into the future with his mind and thoughts. Additionally, as symbols of the battlefield, ravens represent Odin’s welcoming to Valhalla, in which the warriors fallen in battle can enjoy an honourable and happy afterlife.

The connection between Odin and ravens is very old and very deep. By the sixth and seventh centuries AD – well before the beginning of the Viking Age – visual depictions of Odin on helmets and jewellery frequently picture him accompanied by two ravens.

According to the medieval Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson: “Two ravens sit on his (Odin’s) shoulders and whisper all the news which they see and hear into his ear; they are called Huginn and Muninn. He sends them out in the morning to fly around the whole world, and by breakfast they are back again. Thus, he finds out many new things and this is why he is called ‘ravengod’ (hrafnaguð).”

Snorri’s main source for the passage above seems to be an evocative stanza in the Poetic Edda, Grímnismál, a 13th century compilation based on traditional folklore (B. Thorpe translation) where Odin says:

“

Huginn and Muninn fly each day over the spacious earth.

I fear for Huginn, that he come not back, yet more anxious am I for Muninn.

”

Some scholars interpret Huginn and Muninn (old Norse meaning Thought and Memory) as projections of Odin himself, rather than common ravens whom he has blessed with special powers. They can fly swiftly over the Nine Worlds of the Viking Realm to report their observations to Odin.

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They are amazingly far sighted and can understand and speak human language.

In Norse culture, it was common for shamans to enter a trance-like state, during which they sent their consciousness to probe the world and bring back their learnings. Odin’s ravens’ names support the idea that they are projections of his consciousness journeying outward in the form of fittingly intelligent and curious birds to gather additional wisdom and knowledge.

This may explain why Odin fears that Huginn and Muninn might not return to him.

That Huginn and Muninn were hatched from Norse culture is no coincidence. Not only are ravens powerful and common symbols in Norse folklore, they played an important role in the everyday life of the Norse people, too.

Perhaps the first link between the Norse people and ravens was their survival traits. Early Norse people were hunter/gatherers, while ravens were carrion feeders. A clever raven might trail a hunter, and when the hunt was successful, invite itself to the feast. Likewise, a hungry hunter might notice a raven circling in the sky and follow it to a ready meal. In this way, a primitive bond formed between the Norse people and ravens.

As time went by and Norse civilization advanced, people began embarking on their epic sea voyages that would establish Norse culture’s glorious place in history — and they took their winged allies with them. Just as ravens once guided the Norse people to food, they were now relied upon to guide their boats to land. The mighty birds were carried in cages on Viking ships. At regular intervals, they were taken from their cages and released into the breeze to scout out the boat’s surroundings.

If the bird sensed land, it would head toward it, giving the crew the direction landward. If it did not sense or find land, it would return to the ship.

MIXOLOGY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Raven Spirits Limited Visit Aberdeenshire The Gin Cooperative

ENGRAVINGS Larry Vienneau

TEXT

Raven Spirits Limited with contributions from Visit Aberdeenshire

DESIGN & LAYOUT Raven Spirits Limited

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CONTACTS & DETAILS

WEBSITE | WWW.HRAFNGIN.COM GENERAL EMAIL | CONTACT@HRAFNGIN.COM TELEPHONE NUMBER

|

+44 (0)1467 530404

MANAGING DIRECTOR

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CALLUM D. SIM

EMAIL | CALLUM.SIM@RAVENSPIRITS.CO.UK MOBILE | +44 (0)7718 653072

OPERATIONAL DIRECTOR

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PETER R. SIM

EMAIL | PETER.SIM@RAVENSPIRITS.CO.UK MOBILE | +44 (0)7794 110461

COMPANY REGISTRATION

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SC581630

COMPANY ADDRESS

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2 OLD SKENE ROAD

KINGSWELLS ABERDEEN AB15 8QA

ADMINISTRATION ADDRESS

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BEECH COTTAGE

ELPHINSTONE ROAD INVERURIE ABERDEENSHIRE AB51 3UR

VAT NUMBER

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283 1501 22

AWRS NUMBER

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XYAW 000 0011 1522

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RAVEN SPIRITS LIMITED © 2019